Sakurauchi Sa Roasted Rice Vinegar, 16.9 Fl Oz

I read about this product in an article in the food section of the Wash Post (I think) -- and had to try it. I have been hooked ever since. I used it alone on steamed veggies and rice and it is delicious. Great depth of flavor.

A recent article in the Washington Post lamenting the closing, after some 40 years, of a local fine kitchen supply store, made mention of one of the "exotic" items only found there. It was an infused rice vinegar from Hong Kong called Sakurauchi Sa. Never heard of the stuff. So of course I had to try it out and of course I found it on Amazon and ordered three bottles, which showed up two days later.Sakurauchi Sa is a roasted rice vinegar infused with Mandarin orange peel and extracts of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, peppercorn and licorice. Caramel is added for color and thickness. Wow, that's a lot of infusing! What's the result? Complexity.The liquid is dark and thick like a good balsamic vinegar. It's sweet but not cloying, The predominant tastes are cinnamon, cloves and orange.The after taste is with a slight astringency of vinegar. Right off, I substituted it for rice vinegar in a classic vinaigrette, which worked great. Then, since someone left a quart of 'Saigon Cinnamon' gelato here last week, I drizzled some Sakurauchi Sa over a couple scoops of the gelato. That was so good it suggests that it would work on other ice creams. That's it so far, but clearly Sakurauchi Sa will work well wherever you use seasoned rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar in salad dressings and as a drizzle over salad leaves and pasta and as a dipping sauce. It's thick enough to serve well as a glaze and as a marinade over grilled or baked meat and poultry. Soon, I will surely pour some in a pan and reduce it to create a sauce for steak, burgers or pork chop.More than a curiosity, Sakurauchi Sa is a versatile addition to the pantry and may well become a staple.

This is literally the most delicious ingredient you can buy. It's like a balsamic but with amazing depth of flavour. Reduce it down with pan juices to make the most amazing steak sauce. Delicious salad dressings. Was really well wrapped for international postage.

This is 'balsamic vinegar' raised to a much higher level. A deep, rich taste enhances salad dressings, steak sauce and anything you might use balsamic vinegar for. Well worth the price.

Excellent product for a host of different uses.

It's delicious!